


Short Stick (its not always a bad thing)

by immer_mit_dir



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-12 22:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16004222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immer_mit_dir/pseuds/immer_mit_dir
Summary: Standup and Jeno don't mix, but Jeno and the handsome bartender do.orJeno might not be good at telling jokes but he's good at shooting his shot.





	Short Stick (its not always a bad thing)

“Are you kidding me? I’m not doing that…”

“You lost the bet Jeno, you have to.”

“C’mon big boy. Get up there!”

“I hate you guys.” Jeno stood from his chair and headed towards the empty stage.

 

 

Jeno paced around on the stage, periodically walking under the warm spotlight that hung above. He couldn’t believe the situation he was in, he went from sitting comfortably inside some random bar with his friends enjoying others perform to now being the one performing. And to make things worse, it was standup comedy. 

When they entered the bar earlier Jeno should have known his friends were up to no good. They had never gone to a place like this before and when Mark mentioned the idea of coming a red flag rose in Jenos mind. Jeno could still see the shit eating grin that appeared on Donghyucks face when he first walked up. Not even Renjun would save Jeno at this point. 

“So, uh…airplane food am I right?” Jeno blurted out while trying to buy time and think of something genuinely funny. He could only think of one other joke while being heavily stared at by close to thirty people (who weren’t laughing), and it was probably the worst one out there. But…what has he left to lose?

Jeno cleared his throat and took a chance with the joke, “Yesterday it was really cold in my apartment, so I sat in the corner to warm myself up…since they’re usually ninety degrees.” 

Once the joke finished coming from Jenos mouth he could feel the crowds interest decreasing exponentially by the second. The only laughs came from the table Jenos friends were sitting at, and from someone behind the bar at the back of the building. He rubbed the nape of his neck as his awkwardness grew, Jenos eyes darted towards the timer on his side. He had only been up there for five minutes. How was he supposed to last thirty?

 

 

“That was horrific.” Jeno whined as he put his head into his hands.

He could hear his friends laughing, “I don’t know Jeno, I really liked that parrot imitation, you learn that from Johnny?” Renjun snickered.

“Oh, fuck off.” Jeno rolled his eyes.

Mark wrapped his arm around Jenos neck, “Don’t mind them Jen, they just like to see the world burn.” Mark gave Jeno a reassuring smile, but it didn’t do much to subdue all the embarrassment he felt.

Jeno sunk down in his chair hoping everyone would magically forget everything that came from his mouth while he was on stage. Donghyuck and Renjun clung to one another as they turned their attention towards the new person on stage.

“I need a drink…” Was the only thing Jeno said before getting up from the table and cowering away to the bar.

It was darker back by the bar, not as many lights and even less people; perfect for hiding away. Taking one of the middle seats Jeno slid onto the hard, wooden stool. He hadn’t actually thought of ordering a drink (it never really appealed to him) until the bartender striked up a conversation. He couldn’t discern whether his interest to drink came from wanting to forget this whole night or his desire to remember the bartenders face.

“You look like you need something strong.”

Jeno nodded and watched the pink haired man fix him a drink, “Not too strong, I’m a lightweight.” The man laughed causing Jeno to flush a bit at how nice it sounded.

“What’s your name?” The bartender handed Jeno his drink.

“Jeno. Lee Jeno.” 

“Jaemin.” The pink haired man, Jaemin, smiled. Jeno mouthed the man’s name a few times before taking a sip of his drink. It was sweet at first, but as soon as it hit his throat Jeno felt the burn. An attempt was made to hold a poker face while drinking but Jeno ended up wincing at the feeling. He really wasn’t the drinking type.

“You don’t have to finish that.” 

Jeno sighed slightly in relief, “Oh thank God. I don’t know how people like this stuff.” 

“It’s an acquired taste.” Jaemin replied while drying the cup in his hand with a rag, “Like your jokes.” 

Jeno internally screamed. They had only known one another for a few minutes and Jaemin was already shading him. If his friends were sitting there and heard what Jaemin said, Jeno knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it. They would have clowned him into a black hole.

Jaemin must have noticed Jenos mental breakdown because he then added, “Don’t worry, I found your set funny.”

Jeno figured it was a lie to make him feel better, but part of him hoped it wasn’t. It wasn’t every day that an attractive person gave him the time of day. 

“How long have you been a bartender?” Jeno tried his best at a normal conversation that didn’t revolve around his lack of humor.

“About two years.” Jaemin set the now dry glass down on the counter behind him before leaning over on the one in front of him. This closed the distance between the two dramatically, “Do you routinely do standup?”

“No. I lost a stupid bet with my friends.” Jeno pointed to the table of three boys laughing at the new comedian on stage.

“They seem fun.” A smirk could be seen on Jaemins face.

“Yeah…until you draw the short stick.” Jeno scuffed while watching his friends enjoy the night without him (even though it was Jenos choice not to be over there, he still felt a bit of annoyance towards them). 

“So…if you’re not an amateur comedian, what do you do?”

Jeno turned back towards Jaemin, quietly wheezing when the man’s fluffy mop flopped around as he tilted his head, “I-I’m currently finishing my degree in international communications.”

Jaemin made a face, “Sounds boring and complicated.”

“It gets me a good job…so I deal with it. Do you go to school too?”

Jaemin nodded, “Yeah I’m a junior at SNU studying classical literature and rhetoric.” 

“Woah that sounds so cool—wait you go to SNU? Me too!” Jeno lit up a bit, he had been meaning to make more friends ever since he transferred there a year ago.

“Really? Maybe we’ll see each other around campus sometime.” Jaemin pulled away from the counter he had been leaning on to grab a beer for the customer sitting a few seats away from Jeno.

“That’d be nice.” Jeno thought aloud before trying his luck at the drink again. He wondered if after a second sip he would be inclined to drink the rest; however, once the liquid reached his mouth he regretted it. How had he forgotten the taste in the past twenty minutes?

The two continued to talk for a long time. The topics ranged from least favorite foods to movies to who could quote the most lines from Frasier (Jeno lost by the way). When Jeno looked at the clock he noticed it was almost one am, “Oh fuck it’s late, where are my friends.” He looked over at the table they should have been sitting at, but like most of the table near the stage it was empty. Jeno grabbed his phone ready to call Mark and ask where they had run off to, but he noticed a text from Renjun.

 

Hey you seemed super busy with the hot bartender so we let you be. Have fun and don’t get into too much trouble ;) .

 

“My shift is ending in like five minutes, so it was nice meeting you Jeno.” Jaemin smiled and started to untie the waist apron that Jeno had only just noticed. The glass Jeno had also ignored all night was now in Jaemins hands being emptied and cleaned. 

Panic set in as Jeno realized his time with the mega-hot-college-guy-slash-bartender-who-he-probably-won’t-ever-see-again was almost up and he still hadn’t been brave enough to ask for his number or social media. Even worse Jeno hadn’t even said anything remotely flirtatious. 

Jeno slid out of the chair he had been sitting on and made a face as he realized how much his ass really hurt from being on there too long. He waved to Jaemin as the cotton candy man disappeared into the back of the bar where all the workers kept their things. 

 

After a few painful minutes standing in front of the bar Jeno began to wonder if he should continue to wait in the cold any longer or just accept his fate and leave. Almost immediately he got his answer. From the side of the building emerged someone, and that someone was Jaemin who was no wearing a long coat and beanie. Jaemin seemed to be walking away from Jeno and the building so in a rush of pure insanity and courage Jeno decided to shoot his shot.

Jeno quickly caught up with Jaemin and grabbed his arm to get his attention, “Hey, I might not be into alcohol, but I am into you. Do you maybe wanna go out sometime?”

TLDR: Jeno made it home with a new number in his phone.


End file.
